Lean and Rock

Lately, I have been a level or two more enthusiastic about reading the Bible. I am continually learning that the more consistently and intentionally I study God’s word, the more it will “grow on me”. I do not credit myself for a renewed appetite for reading the Bible because I know that in and of myself, I DO NOT have the steadiness or endurance that it takes. Maybe you can relate to me in that you go through seasons in your spiritual life or your relationship with the good Lord. Maybe you’re like me and you have always considered reading the Bible a priority in your life, but lack the follow through it takes when you feel the demands of life filling up your time. I pray for each woman (or man) who reads this, that they (myself included) would have an increased hunger and thirst for God’s word. So much so, that the chaos and demands of life would not interfere with this desire. Amen.

“...Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”-Joshua 1:8-9

In the last two or three weeks I have had a couple of really clear and personal examples of God speaking through His word, The Bible. I would like to share one of them with you, and hope it encourages you or inspires you in some way...

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday night, my husband called me over to the computer to look at what he had been working on. Now, some background: We have been married 6 years, and have been renters for the duration of that time. We love the freedom the renting life provides, but eventually we would like to have a place of our own. We currently have our eye on a chunk of land out in the country, and my hubby Mark has plans to build a house for us. The thing with this property though, is it is ROUGH terrain on big uneven rock. Mark has spent a considerable amount of time sketching the blueprints of our house-to-be on the computer, which is why he called me over to take a look. What Mark wanted to show me was that half of our basement would be taken up by rock/mountain. He said that we might even leave the rock ‘as is’ inside for our basement’s wall. Anyways, I thought it was a neat idea, but nothing more of it. The next morning as my toddler son and I were getting ready to go to church (Mark had to work), I flipped on a children’s Christian playlist on YouTube. Well the last song we heard prior to heading out the door happened to be “The Wise Man Built his House upon the Rock”. You may or may not know the song, but the tune is catchy and the song is based on a story Jesus told. As we were walking to church, my mind stopped to consider the lyrics to the song and the direct correlation it was to my husband’s house talk the night before. When we got home from church later, I looked at the computer screen. Sure enough, it was paused on the song about the wise man building his house upon the rock. Now that is a nice little story, but it doesn’t end there. At church, the pastor started preaching the sermon he had prepared. His text was Luke 6:46-49! In my Bible, that passage is titled “Build Your House on the Rock”. I am going to share the great notes from this portion in my Bible:

“The house represents a religious life; the rain represents divine judgment. Only the house built on the foundation of obedience to God’s word stands, which calls for repentance, rejection of salvation by works, and trust in God’s grace to save through his merciful provision.” (John MacArthur study notes)

Basically, anything worthwhile or of lasting value in my life, is going to stem from doing what the Bible tells me to/following Jesus. The lining up of this truth with something like building our own house on a literal rock was just a bonus from God, letting me know He cares for me and a reminder that His word IS living and active. With that I will leave you with these powerful words.

“For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.”-Hebrews 5:12

Thanks for Reading,

Katie